Automatic air-valve.



Patented Aug. |4,' I900.

W. D. KLIPFEL. AUTOMATIC AIR VALVE.

(Application filed Jan. 17. 1900.)

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES illnrrn 'rnrns NVILLIAM D. KLIPFEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC AIR-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming W of Letters Patent No. 655,785, dated August 14, 1900. Application filed January 17, 1900. Serial No'. 1,752. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. KLIPFEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is the production of an air-valve, automatic in its action, adapted to cause the discharge of the air which collects in steam-radiators.

The valve herein shown and described is adapted particularly to those heating systems wherein an exhaust-fan or steam-jet is employed to draw away from the Valve the cold air or steam discharged therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section through my improved air-valve. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on dotted line x 00 of Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout both views.

In the construction of this air-valve I provide the body portion A of cylindrical form, which body portion has the interior steamchamber A and a steam-inlet pipe A communicating with said chamber. The outer end of said inlet-pipe A is externally screwthreaded to provide a means of connection between the air-valve as a whole and the ra diator, (not shown,) and also to provide a communication between the steam-chamber A and the interior of the radiator-pipes. A central opening A in the upper wall of the steam-chamber A provides the means of escape for the cold air which collects in the radiator-pipes and enters the steam-chamber A. This opening A has a closure, to be later described herein, actuated by the expansion and contraction of the material of which it is composed. The lower end of the body portion A contains the discharge chamber A and the wall;A which separates said discharge-chamber from the steam-chamber A, has a screw-threaded opening A, closed by the correspondinglyscrew-threaded cup A A pencil A preferably made of a vulcanized rubber composition and slightly tapered at its upper end to fit into the opening A is secured in the cup A The pencil A is ad justed with relation to the opening A by turning the cup A in its supporting screwand at its upper end through the opening A with the steam-chamber A.

C is an internally-screw-threaded coupling having an annular shoulder C nearits upper end. The coupling 0 is adapted to fit against the lower end of the body portion A of the air-valve, and to make a tight joint between said body portion and the coupling C their adjacent faces are ground together. A sleeve C internally screw-threaded to correspond to the threads upon the lower part of the body portion A, is adapted to hold said coupling in engagement with said body portion, so that the interior of the coupling opens into the discharge-chamber A.

While I have described the pencil A as be in g made of a vulcanized rubber composition, it may be of copper or other metal, though on account of the expansive qualities of the vulcanized composition the latter is more desirable than metal.

The operation of this air-valve is as follows: The pipe A is connected with the interior of a stea1n-radiator and the coupling 0 placed in connection with means for exhausting a portion of the air from the discharge-chamber A which means may consist of a steamjet. The adjusting-cup A is turned in its screw-threads so that the end of the pencil A nearly closes the opening A Steam is admitted to the radiator, driving the cold air before it into the steam-chamber A. The exhaust, acting through the coupling (3, the discharge-chamber'A, and the duct B, draws the cold air from the steam-chamber A through the opening A until all the cold air has been exhausted from the radiator-pipes. After the cold air has been expelled steam enters the chamber A, heating the pencil A causing it to expand sufficiently to close the opening A thus preventing the escape of steam through the discharge-duct B. When from any cause cold air accumulates in the radiator-pipes and the temperature within the steam-chamber A falls sufficiently to cause the pencil A to contract, the opening A is uncovered, and the cold air is Withdrawn from the radiator-pipes by means of the reduced air-pressure in the dischargechamber A, permitting steam again to enter the steam-chamber A, expand the pencil A and thus close the opening A which latter remains closed until the pencil again contracts and opens the port A I claim as my invention In an automatic air-valve, a valve-body composed of one integral piece provided with an inlet-opening, a cylindric central steamchamber having communication with said inlet-opening, a discharge-chamber axially alined with said steam-chamber and having a screw-threaded opening communicating therewith, a discharge-duct formed Within the Walls of said steam-chamber extending at the top and the side thereof and communicating with the interior of said dischargechamber, an escape-opening communicating between the upper part of the steam-chamber and the discharge-duet, which escapeopening is alined with said screw-threaded opening; in combination with a pencil of material expansible by heat; and a cup-shaped holder for said pencil,which holder is threaded to correspond with the threads in said screwthreaded opening.

WILLIAM D. KLIPFEL.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. CHINDAHL, L. L. MILLER. 

